Daily, free software! What could be better? Some beer and a lot of chicks on a remote island, with broadband Internet connection too, of course. Obviously, on a daily basis. If not, at least each week should be fine. Now, stop dreaming! You're not here to dream about naked chicks on a beach, but to see some of the latest iPhone free software available in the App Store, and that's exactly what we're going to discuss about next...

First of all, let me say that free software is usually just as good as its commercial counterpart, only that support and updates are not as good as it happens with paid products, but this is not a rule. We could talk about free vs paid software for ages, but that's not my purpose, so just be assured that a nice daily, free software infusion won't hurt you!

As usual, games come in first place, so here's what you can grab for free and get right into the game on your iPhone, new or old, and even on the iPod Touch...<-180x150 Small Rectangle - right->

If you like Solitaire(just a side note - I hate it!), then you should try Cookie Bonus Solitaire, made by Amplified Games, Inc.(http://www.amplifiedgames.com/). While the free version is ad supported, the paid one doesn't have any "fat." Despite the cookie theme available in both, you won't get any cookies as desert if you win the game, anyway! ;)

Do you have a compass,a GPS, or at least one of those old watches? If not, Compass allows you to locate north, as long as the sun is up, basically using the same method as finding North using the sun and an old watch. What about finding your way in the dark? Well, maybe in a future version...

iChoose is one of those apps that seem to be completely useless, but they're not. Well, at least to some people. If you want to toss a coin, roll a dice, and so on, to help in making a random decision, and you have no coin, dice, or pack of cards to draw the Ace, simply fire up iChoose on your iPhone or iPod Touch and let the good times roll! Just don't blame the producer of the application for bad decisions!

The last pill on your daily free software recipe is Ezimba, a program that will turn your Photoshop addiction into a real pleasure, as long as all you can use to retouch photos is your iPhone and nothing more. Starting with brightness and contrast, Eziba can do a lot of things, including artistic filters like Oil Paint, Sepia, Face Melt or Fossilize. Sweet!

This is your daily free software recipe, guard it well, and be sure to take at least one each day, and remember - one free software a day keeps the commercial ones away! :)

If you offer me a golden iPod Shuffle like the one below for less than $50, maybe I would get it, but otherwise, the Shuffle is not my thing, and let me tell you why - sound quality is the lowest in the iPod family, there's no display, and it's too small, so you can lose it without even feeling that. Anyway, there are a lot of people using it, and I can't go and tell them they are wrong, and their beloved media player is the worst possible choice, because that wouldn't be the truth, either. Considering its popularity, the Shuffle still seems to have a future, so let's talk about iPod Shuffle directions, shall we?

The question is very simple - there are plenty of directions available, but only a few of them are good. Which one will be chosen by Apple? The latest rumor says the iPod Shuffle will receive a lot of updates, and the most obvious is related to storage space. While a "slight redesign" could mean a lot of things, a jump from 2GB to 4GB in terms of storage space means an additional 2GB of MP3 files, and nothing else.

After cutting the price earlier this year to $49, I wonder where could Apple go this time. Don't get me wrong, $49 is fine, but if you're going to spend at least a few minutes searching for alternates, you'll surely find 2GB players with 1.8"-2" LCD screens, video playing capabilities, 2GB of memory and microSD expansion slot, most of them priced below $80, with a few models going as low as $40-$50, and I am not talking about Chinese no-name devices!<-125x125 Button - right->

If someone would ask me, here's what I would like to see in the next iPod Shuffle: more file formats supported, at least a black and white display, EQ, microSD expansion slot, and a black model. If they aren't going to add a black model, anything else would be pointless, at least when it comes to gaining myself as a customer.

Other than the above, I don't know what else could I ask. What would you ask from Apple to change? Could you go as far as requiring them to drop the Shuffle and concentrate on the other iPods? A lot of iPod Shuffle directions available, and only a few of them valid...good luck with this one, Apple, you'll need it!

I don't know why, but almost every time an operating system gets updated, some errors go through, so the update process is turned into a perpetual motion - old errors are fixed, new ones are added, so the need for another update arises. Obviously, most chances are that next time some new errors will appear, and so on. Since nothing is perfect, errors are not such a big problem, as long as user are being warned by the company behind the operating system, software application, or hardware device. I know this may sound strange, but I bumped a few times into errors known by the producer, but silently fixed, and denied to exist. Now, Apple has just released Mac OS X 10.5.5 to developers, together with a warning...

According to the documentation coming with these developer-exclusive Mac OS X updates, this initial version has shown some graphics glitches when installed on Macs with integrated graphics chips. "Do not install on the following machines: MacBook Air, MacBook, Mac Mini, iMac (with Intel integrated graphics)," said Apple.

From what inside sources are saying, it seems this first seed was labeled as "Mac OS X 10.5.5 build 9F5," and those testing it were asked to focus on almost twenty core system components, including AirPort, FileSync, the Finder, iCal, iChat, Networking, Text Services, Time Machine, and - obviously - the graphics drivers.<-180x150 Small Rectangle - right->

If you are eager to get some Mac OS X updates and fix your current problems, then you should hold on a little, because for now, not even the date when a version without the graphics glitch will be available is known, so the date of the public release is way ahead.

Getting back to Mac OS X 10.5.5 build 9F5 one last time, you should know that 82 bugs discovered or outstanding since Mac OS X 10.5.4 have been fixed, like the kernel crashes in Dashboard, many iCal problems, as well as several network and printer sharing glitches.

Other than the above, I guess we should just wait and see when the next Mac OS X updates will popup. After all, Apple is as quiet as usual, so all we can get for now is, just as always, rumors coming from sources close to them, but still rumors...