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Can Microsoft crawl out from under the stack of Apple products announced today?

I don't think I'm the only one stunned by the crush of new Apple products. What, a fourth-generation iPad already? New Mac Minis? Then the new iMacs on top of the 13-inch Retina MacBook Pro?

Apple seemed to throw everything but the kitchen sink out there today. But that's only because the rest of the kitchen sink -- the new iPhone and iPod -- was already out there.

Maybe Apple just felt it was time to do a mega-upload of new products. Or maybe, … Read more

Swackett is a weather app. Sounds exciting, huh? But surprisingly, Swackett does a great job at relaying what other sites don't really make clear, which is what the weather really will be like. Instead of complex weather data and a radar image, Swackett produces a condensed version with pictographs and a simple layout that gives you the weather forecast at a glance.

Swackett's simple interface gives you a picture of what the weather will be like using a simple image (for a hot day you see two cartoon figures dressed with hats and light clothes, holding suntan lotion … Read more

Cashculator Free is a personal finance calculator and collection of utilities for helping you determine your future financial decisions. Cashculator Free is not just a set of spreadsheets, but a set of tools that help guide you through several important financial calculations. The app installs easily and when launched gives you a mini-tutorial on getting started.

Cashculator Free starts with simple financial analysis tools such as budgeting and determining cash flow. From there, you can do what-if scenarios. The free version of Cashculator allows you to save two scenarios and work forward only three months. To see more future planning … Read more

EpocCam is an iOS app for converting your iDevice's camera into a high-definition PC webcam. There's a free version and also an upgrade to the HD version for $4.99. To use EpocCam you need to download an app on your iDevice, as well as a driver for Windows or Mac OS X on your computer (laptop or desktop). We installed the Windows drivers from the publisher's Web site, then downloaded the iOS app on our iPhone. Both installations went easily, although we did go to the publisher's Web site to watch the how-to videos first (… Read more

World Explorer is an app that lets you enter any of the 350,000 locations in the app's database and see images and descriptions of that location. Working with the Mac's geolocation capabilities, you can also see what's near you. The app installs quickly.

The World Explorer interface presents you with a dialog box to enter a location, then three panes underneath show images, an illustrated description, and ratings of the feature or nearby features. Lookups are fast, and we ended up discovering lots of things around us that we hadn't seen before, as well as … Read more

The rumored 13-inch version of Apple's MacBook Pro with a Retina Display will cost some $500 more than Apple's existing, non-Retina 13-inch model, according to a new report.

Citing "wholesale prices," 9to5Mac says the 13-inch model of the notebook will start at $1,699 when it goes on sale next week. That's $500 less than the entry-level version of Apple's 15-inch model with a Retina Display, but also $500 more than the entry-level 13-incher on the non-Retina side.

Apple, of course, has not announced the smaller version of the Retina-equipped Pro, but its arrival … Read more

Wallpapers HD Lite is a wallpaper app that offers thousands of high-resolution images for the Mac. The app is a quick download. When launched, a dialog opens with two panes: to the right are a few thumbnails of available wallpaper images, and to the left is a thumbnail preview and two big buttons for rating an image and downloading the selected image in the preview pane. A drop-down selection list in the top right lets you see specific categories of images, or you can choose three collections of recently downloaded images, popular images, or random images.

The free version, Wallpapers … Read more

Basketball Mania from Mouse Games is an Android app that's fairly easy to get the hang of and very fun to play. Even if you never go near a real court, you could easily become addicted to this game.

Basketball Mania's vibrant but simple interface enhances the gaming experience. By simply clicking Play, you are transferred to the skins screen. In the beginning there is only one screen or environment to choose from, but you'll be able to earn tickets as you make shots and use them to buy new skins. Gameplay is easy to pick up, … Read more

The iPad Mini isn't the only thing reportedly slated for an event later this month. Pencil in a new Retina MacBook Pro, too -- so a report is claiming.

Apple will unveil a new 13-inch MacBook Pro with a Retina display alongside the iPad Mini, a report at 9to5Mac says, citing a "consistently reliable source" at a "high-profile U.S. retailer."

That would support a CNET report last week that said production of the 13-inch Retina MacBook Pro is on track.

This wouldn't be Apple's first MacBook with a Retina display, of course. … Read more