Syncing all your stuff between all your digital devices is going to eventually drive you insane. Apple is here, once again, to help. iCloud (Free/$25 a year) seamlessly stores your music, photos, apps, email, calendars, and documents, and wirelessly pushes them to all your devices automatically so everything stays up to date and in sync. When something changes on one... [More]

Until now, touchscreen PCs were little more than gimmicks - finger-friendly add-ons to a very mouse-oriented OS. Microsoft Windows 8 ($TBA) looks to change all of that. By borrowing heavily from Windows Phone 7, Redmond has built a touch-optimized, tile-based main interface for Windows 8, melding the user friendliness of modern smartphones with powerful PC features like complete access to... [More]

The only web/design/development software collection that matters gets another upgrade with Adobe Creative Suite 5 ($1700-$2600). Available in five different sets, the new software includes the likes of Photoshop CS5, Illustrator CS5, InDesign CS5, Acrobat 9 Pro, Flash Catalyst CS5, Flash Professional CS5, Flash Builder 4, Dreamweaver CS5, Fireworks CS5, Contribute CS5, Adobe Premiere Pro CS5, After Effects CS5, Encore... [More]

You can now instantly watch unlimited TV shows and movies from Netflix on your iPad. Featuring all the Multi-Touchiness you can handle, the Netflix iPad App (Free; Netflix account required) could be just the thing for when you're jonesing for some Lebowski, but don't want to get off the couch or risk spilling your caucasian to find the DVD. Also... [More]

Ah, the iPad. We're expecting it to replace magazines, books, our laptops — at least some of the time — and... board games? Yup, Game Table ($1) aims to do exactly that, offering realistic checkers, chess, and card games. All the action is controlled by you and a friend with intuitive touch controls, while the physics engine sucks you in... [More]

As if you really needed yet another reason to pick up an iPad this weekend, along comes Mixr ($TBA). This multi-touch DJ mixing app for the upcoming Jesus tablet offers a virtual dual turntable main interface, allowing for scratching, reverse play, tempo and pitch adjustment, live EQ and effects, the ability to record your mixes, and the ability to cue... [More]

Just when you thought Apple's iron-gated app garden was sure to keep any challenger to iBooks out, along comes Amazon Kindle for iPad. Sporting a nifty book cover browsing interface, this upcoming app — assuming it makes it past Apple's stinky, troll-like gatekeepers — will let users read Kindle-formatted books on their iPads, offering customizable background colors and font sizes... [More]

Not content to let traditional books have all the digital distribution fun, Panelfly (Free; App Store Link) lets you purchase, download, and read digital comics right from your iPhone or iPod touch. With hundreds of titles available from some of the biggest names in comics — including Marvel — Panelfly's slick, well-designed interface makes reading each issue as easy as... [More]

If Leopard was all about new features, Mac OS X Snow Leopard ($29; August 28) is all about speed. Leaving most of Leopard's UI features in place, Snow Leopard boasts tons of under-the-hood improvements, including faster, more stable, 64-bit versions of Finder, Mail, iCal, iChat, and Safari, the all new QuickTime X, a footprint that takes up 7GB (!) less... [More]

Turn your high-tech iPhone into a decades old single-purpose device with HP iPhone Calculators. The range includes the legendary HP-12C Financial Calculator ($15) — the company's longest and best-selling model — and the HP-15C ($30), a high-end programmable scientific calculator capable of handling complex numbers and matrix calculations. Both apps replicate the classic looks and button layouts of these venerable... [More]

Whether you're a lightweight or a full-time drinker, you can keep track of your boozing using your iPhone with DrinkTracker ($2). This handy little app lets you set a "target" BAC and then tell it when you're having a drink to keep track of your level over time. We used it to keep ourselves in the clear with John Q.... [More]

Whether you're updating an old XP box, moving a newer machine away from Vista, or wanting to load up an alternate OS on your Intel Mac, Microsoft Windows 7 ($50-$320; 10/22) is coming soon. Packing features like multi-touch support, new ways to organize open windows and apps, a new device manager, and more, it will also (hopefully) solve some of... [More]

Be more productive with your boredom with Hulu Desktop, a new application for Mac and Windows that gives you better access to Hulu's vast library of free online videos. With no web browser required, the standalone app features a slick interface that lets you easily browse for videos (in alphabetical order, by network or studio, or by Hulu channel) and... [More]

Quite possibly the most important piece of software any music lover can buy, TuneUp ($30) can take any messy iTunes database and turn it into the pristine sort of collection reserved only for those with indentured man-servants (as demonstrated here). TuneUp's killer tuning capabilities comb your music collection for anomalies, replacing erroneous metadata, adding album covers and quite a bit... [More]

Few scenarios are scarier than having a laptop stolen. Get your stolen Mac back with Undercover 3 ($49). It runs invisibly in the background, anonymously checking in with the developer's servers — until you report it stolen. As soon as that happens, the company begins tracking the laptop using Skyhook Wireless technology, letting the police know where your stolen baby... [More]

Looking for some new media center-style software for your PC, Mac, or Linux box? Then head over and sign up for Boxee (Free). This awesome open-platform media center offers access to all your media stored on a shared or network-enabled drive, along with built-in access to videos from Hulu, Comedy Central, CBS, CNN, YouTube, Revision3, and more. Perhaps the best... [More]

Love digital photography but miss the look and feel of old-school Polaroid shots? Then grab yourself a copy of Poladroid. This free application for Mac OS X (a Windows version is coming next month) offers drag-and-drop creation of high-resolution, print-ready Polaroid-style pictures using your favorite images. For some cool examples, check out the app's Flickr group.... [More]

It's that time again: time to upgrade your copies of Adobe's apps to the latest and greatest Creative Suite 4 releases. Adobe is offering six bundles this time, including the Design Premium ($1,800), Design Standard ($1,400), Web Premium ($1,700), Web Standard ($1,000), Production Premium ($1,700), and the anything-and-everything Master Collection ($2,500). Of course, upgrade pricing is available as well, and... [More]

The internet overlords continue their online onslaught with Google Chrome, a free, lightweight web browser. Chrome features a clean, minimal design, fast page loading, thumbnail tabs, and a simplified address bar (for URLs and search terms). It's Windows-only right now, but Google says Mac and Linux versions are in progress.... [More]

Apple's MobileMe ($99-$149) is a new subscription-based web service that replaces the feeble .Mac service. Redesigned as "Exchange for the rest of us," MobileMe delivers push email, push contacts and push calendars to your iPhone, iPod touch, Mac, or PC, keeping everything absolutely in sync and up to date. Also included with MobileMe is a suite of slick web apps... [More]