New software from a little Washington state company could upset computer giants Apple and Microsoft by letting users pick'n'mix their operating systems.

Parallels launch their Parallels Desktop 5 for Mac today - and it allows you to run Windows seamlessly on an Apple Mac computer. Not only can you switch screens from the Mac OS to Windows, you can also use Windows applications alongside Mac apps. And can use Linux as well from the same computer.

Looks like a Neolithic spear head or a weirdly cut slice of bread - but it is Apple's new Magic Mouse. Where Apple's recent raft of new products are souped-up version of the old ones, this mouse is something new. The Bluetooth battery-powered mouse comes free along with a Bluetooth keyboard whenever you buy an IMac.

It has no buttons, the whole thing is a sleek curved shell with multi-touch sensitivity in classic Apple white. Flip it over and it's got a green winking Cyclops eye with two black runners. It has a chip inside that knows what your fingers are doing.

Apple released a new raft of shiny new Macs yesterday. There are three products: a MacBook, a Mac Mini and an iMac range complete with a 27inch screen version and the visionary new Apple mouse. Basically all specs on all models have been ramped up. But a few changes stood out:

Oo, looks like Apple might make some snide jabs at Windows 7 in its next advertising campaign. Well so macnn suggests in this article. They say the Apple campaign will centre on difficulties upgrading from Windows XP to Windows 7 - highlighting the fact that XP is still the OS still used by many PC owners.

They quote Apple's company's marketing VP, Phil Schiller:

"It presents a very good opportunity for us," he explains, noting that the upgrade from XP to Windows 7 could include backing up essential files, reformatting, and/or reinstalling old applications. "Any user that reads all those steps is probably going to freak out," claims Schiller. "If you have to go through all that, why not just buy a Mac?"

Convinced? Would upgrade difficulties tip you over to the Mac side?

Windows' ad campaign for its new OS centres around having Windows 7 launch parties. Applicants for the Windows 7 launch party pack were carefully vetted to avoid Apple-heads or sarcastic Linux users from holding satirical Win 7 parties, a more amusing but less useful critique of the new Windows launch.

Related: Remember 1984? Remember the original Mac advert?

Anyone who used to play with lego will appreciate these iPod shuffle cases from Computers Unlimited. Named after the objects they imitate: the BRICK, the LOOP, the MINT, the WAFER and the TREAT are playful twists on the old silicone case perennial.

The Wafer looks, yes, like a wafer and the Mint, inspired by after-dinner confectionary, looks like a Mint. And the Loop actually has a practical purpose in letting users clip their shuffle onto a key-ring. Made of durable, shock-absorbing silicone, they fit securely around the iPod shuffle with cut-out bits over the controls.

The designers Incipio claim these cases are highly creative and cutting-edge conceptual experiments... I wouldn't go quite that far, but if you like lego or wafers and need a shuffle cover - you'll like these.

All £9.95 from Unlimited Computer

Related: New iPod shuffle goes for the microscopic look

Children's TV show Sesame Street have a nice line in spoofs - from Mad Men to err, the iPod advert.

Maybe they're trying to teach kids to be advertising-savvy, or maybe they just liked the colours and bouncy music. Anyway this is Big Bird with a "D" a music device that resembles the Apple product in more ways than one.

I'm very fussy with my headphones and I've always been disappointed with the sound quality and volume with the many I've tried, until I was sent these new marvels from Radiopaq.

At £50 I'm not sure I would have looked twice at these headphones (yes I may be fussy but I'm also a bargain hunter) after all, they aren't Sony or Sennheiser.

The earphones, which have been made to work with the iPhone come in four different profiles to suit your music taste. These include rock, pop, classical and Jazz and each type is tuned to give the best possible sound for each genre.

Being a queen of cheese I chose pop, which are claimed to have a more dynamic, sharp listening experience with strong vocals and a great beat. And I can't fault these claims here. The sound was spot on. So much so, at times I actually thought I was at an actual Take That concert.

They also worked very well at blocking out outside noise, especially on the tube. Even at low volume I couldn't hear the rumblings of the train or the annoying woman who tells you to "mind the gaps."

Because the earphones are made for the iPhone they also have an inline remote and microphone, which lets users answer phone calls quickly and easily, even when listening to music. Again, I've always been quite skeptical about such claims but these headphones were perfect. My music was paused when the phone rang and I could hear people as clearly as they could hear me when I spoke through the microphone.

The headphones also fit really nicely into my ears, and just to make sure they were just as comfortable on others, I asked a few people to try them out. General consensus was that they were much more comfortable than a standard earphone.

However, I do have one tiny complaint and that's the wiring. It could just be personal preference but I like my wires subtle and plain and these headphones were anything but that with black and red coated wiring, which really makes them stand out.

However, this is a minor qualm for such a perfect set of cans.

Streetlights in New York were transformed into gigantic white iPod earbuds as part of an Apple advertising stunt. If it were more than a photoshop trick - it would be nice as a surreal piece of street architecture. At the bottom of the stand, a plastic dummy iPod with a real flatscreen inside, plays music videos. We assume the earbuds don't work.

Advertising always throws up some little surprises: and I had never considered the similarities between earbuds and lampposts. Now that I have, I'm not sure that the new startling association will make me want to buy one, but hey, sure made me think about them.

The pictures are from website New Creatives - an online database of the ideas from the world of advertising. Other gems from the site include a newspaper with three front covers - a piece of print advertising designed to push the newspaper's website. The front page constantly "refreshes" get it? Like the multiple front page of the print version. Some more proof that web pages are better than print pages.

Related: Apple fashion apps for the iPod Touch and iPhone & Zagg, Z. Budds: It's not all about those white Apple headphones

[CORRECTION: just a photoshop trick, contrary to what was previously stated. Not real guys, sorry]

I'm not sure about you, but I find it difficult to sometimes use my iPhone with my girly long nails.

It's fine when I'm using apps but trying to touch on web links can be a nightmare.
However American based company Ten One Design, has come up with a solution, which saves us from cutting our pesky nails off.

It's launched the Pogo Stylus and Pogo Sketch, compatible with the iPhone and iPod touch, which are also now available in Hot Pink.

Peter Skinner, Ten One Design CEO said: "We've found that the Pogo Stylus and Pogo Sketch have been crucial to the female iPhone and iPod touch community.

"Since women cannot operate the capacitive touch screen using their fingernails, these products have become a much-needed mobile solution. And we're proud to be able to give our female audience what they want, now in a more stylish color."

According to the company the advanced material used on the tip of the styli is what makes it so extraordinary and revolutionary for multi-touch displays. It acts as a bridge by transferring the signal from the display to the user's hand.

Oh, and they're also perfect for those of us who like to wear gloves in the winter too.

With London Fashion Week soon approaching it would be nice to be able to keep up with the current trends and without having to buy hundreds of magazines. It would also be nice to get up to the minute fashions.

Apple has obviously heard about our needs because it's put together a selection of fashion applications for the iPhone and iPod Touch to keep you up to date with everything that's going on at London Fashion Week.

And the best thing about them is that they are free. That means more money to spend on the latest fashions.

However, if these aren't enough for you, then jump onto our fashionable sister site ShinyStyle, where you'll be able to catch up with all the latest gossip and fashions for the up and coming Fashion Week.

Click on the picture to begin the gallery.

Last night Apple once again did what they do best and launched a new range of iPod players.

First on the list was the new iPod Nano with a built in video camera that lets users capture footage when they're on the move, and upload the clip to video-sharing sites such as YouTube. It also has an FM radio and voice recorder .The video Nano 8GB can store up to 2,000 songs and will cost £115, while the 16GB version is priced at £135.

"Video is exploding in popularity, we want a piece of that," Steve Jobs said.
Next on the Apple play list was a larger capacity version of the iPod touch, which at 64GB can store up to 14,000 songs. This will cost £299.

The company also updated its iTunes software, and showed off a a new service, iTunes LP, which allows users to download cover art, sleeve notes, and other content, such as artist videos and interviews, when they download an album from the iTunes store.
"Some of us are old enough to have bought LPs," said Mr Jobs, who promised that the new service would recreate some of the joys of listening to old records.
However, if you don't fancy any of these new gadgets then you're in luck. The company also lowered the prices of existing iPods.

We think Apple has done amazingly well over the years, bringing out newer products, and in my view, revolutionizing the way we listen to music.

With this new announcement, we decide to look back at the history of this music device, which has gone from brick to slick over the years.

Read on over the jump for more information.

As you will all know, Apple's X Snow Leopard has gone on sale today and we've had a chance to have a very quick look at it.

The new operating system has some new features and some smaller improvements to its recent predecessor many surrounding speed. This includes an installation time, which is said to be 50% faster, and shutting down and starting up times twice as fast.

It's time machine back up service, which was previously featured on its older operating system is also claimed to be 80% faster.

However, if it's a need for internet speed you want then the best thing about this is that the operating system works with Apple's latest Safari 4 browser to offer superfast (and yes that's out view) web browsing and renders pages that use JavaScript at a much faster rate than, frankly anything I've ever seen before.

The company has also added, what it calls Expose, a feature that lets you organise and search all your open windows, saving you lots of time and helping you find that Facebook or Twitter Window more easily.

We had a look at this, opening 15 windows including pictures, websites and documents and unfortunately we have to agree that it's pretty impressive.

However the one feature we absolutely love, is more physical than software based. Apple has used the operating system to make it easier for people with disabilities, such as those with visual impairments to use their computer.

They have done this through the touch pad, which these people can use to be told of where their cursor is and where to navigate to next.

Those that can or are learning to write in Chinese can also use the trackpad to draw Chinese characters onto, and this will bring up a range of character options. Now we weren't able to try this out, as we're not blessed with bilingual skills, but we had a little doodle and some characters did come up.

We'll bring you a fuller review once we've had time to have a good play around with this.

If you're an iPhone user with a poor sense of direction and a proud streak that prevents you from stopping to ask for directions, then sat nav applications could come in handy.

TomTom has finally announced a sat nav application for the iPhone, but has lost in the race to become the first manufacturer to do so. We take a look at the other two that beat this sat nav giant to the iPhone post.

Follow on after the jump

Way back in January we were uber excited about the news of a new addition to the Sony walkman family, the brand spanking X Series walkman. It was debuted at CES,
and we learnt all about how it combined useful wireless capabilities with a gorgeous looking 3 inch OLED screen. That dream has just become a reality as the X series is available to purchase from today.

But how does this lovely looking MP3 player match up to the likes of the iPod Touch, arguably its biggest competitor? Will the OLED screen be enough to position this player at the top of the tree, or will it be fisticuffs at dawn? Read on to find out....

With a potential iPhone announcement in the air the rumour mill has been activated once again and those rumours are a' churning. The latest bit of hot iPhone gossip tells us the next iteration of super phone will come with a (still measly) 3.2 megapixel camera. Word on the interweb is Omnivision managed to bag itself the order for a mass of 3.2 megapixel sensors and not only that, it's also going around they've received orders for a 5 megapixel camera too, for "another Apple product" (hmmm, interesting). Whatever could those be for? The next-gen iPod Touch perhaps, or maybe for a MacBook webcam?

Apple calls its new iPhone OS 3.0 a "major update" to the innards of the iPhone and iPod Touch. And with 100 new features to sink your teeth into, this summer will be the time to put all calls on hold to familiarise yourself with your new functions, including stereo Bluetooth, voice memo, the ability to rotate from portrait mode to landscape mode in all applications, shake-to-shuffle, turn by turn navigation. No mention of video though.

The upgrade doesn't quite have the wow factor Apple's 2.0 software possessed, but in an attempt to compete with the competition and ensure its customers remain loyal, they've given the iPhone OS a thorough polish. And it puts an end to current minor iPhone/iPod Touch inadequacies such as cut, copy and paste, multimedia messaging (at last!!!) and an in-phone search feature.