In no way does TapeDeck claim to replace Garageband, Logic or any other full blown audio recording application. TapeDeck just does one thing, record audio from your built-in mic or any other audio input to virtual cassette tapes.

The application resembles a cassette tape recorder and the interface is as intuitive as it gets. Because of this, TapeDeck lends itself well to impromptu interviews, dictations and lectures. TapeDeck even allows you to transfer recordings to your iTunes library.

Tapes can be color coded and labeled to make them easier to find in their virtual storage rack. And just like recorders of the past, you can select recording qualities of High, Medium or Low. These settings translate to different bit rates and the amount of disc space your recordings take up. In our tests, the lowest setting was more than adequate for dictation and everyday use.

There are a few gripes we had with TapeDeck. First, each time you press record, a new "tape" is used. There are no way to continue from a previous recording. While some may see this as a safety measure, what if you wanted to continue a recording and not have it spread across a couple of tapes?

Another issue we had was with the search function. Labels and liner notes are fully searchable from within the application but only the labels are searchable via Spotlight. Maybe we're asking for too much but we love our Spotlight.

TapeDeck is definitely a great application and the issues we have are definitely not show stoppers. Plus the mechanical transport sounds it makes alone is well worth the asking price of $25.

Delicious Library offers users the ability to catalog their entire collection of music, movies, electronic gadgets, kitchenware, clothes and most anything else using a web cam onto digital shelves on their Mac.

All you have to do to enter an item in your database is scan the product's PC using a webcam. Delicious Library connects to Amazon to determine what that product is. From there, it will download the cover art, detailed description and a host of reviews and additional information.

The program's been around for a few years, but the developers recently released version 2.0. There's a huge list of changes, including the addition of 5 new item categories, which brings the total to 9. You can also view other Delicious Library users' shared libraries from within the application itself instead of going to the web now. Cover art and graphics have a better 3D look to them and scale a lot better too. In addition, the library performance has been improved.

Working seamlessly with your iTunes library, djay 2.1 allows you to mix both MP3 and AAC songs in real time and record your performances to share with others. In addition, djay offers the ability to scratch and beat matching.

One feature that we enjoyed was the Automix mode. Select an iTunes playlist, set djay to shuffle and it will mix song after song using a variety of transitions from fading one song to the next to spinning a record backwards.

A Mac only download, djay is free to try for 10 days and is available for purchase for $49.99.

Let's start with a simple test. Who here likes:

• Big lists of applications with similar functionality, so that you can test each application and find the one that works best for you?
• The ability to copy multiple items to the clipboard for pasting across multiple windows and applications with a quick keystroke or mouse click?
• Macs?

If you nodded your head, raised an eyebrow in affirmation, or hugged a complete stranger in response to these questions, then read on friend, because Download Squad's got you covered.

Too often, when you're searching for an application with a specific functionality, you get slowed down by the mass of search results and unhelpful links. You feel like Indiana Jones trekking through the jungle to find that one hidden trinket of inestimable value. Thankfully, there exists helpful sites like Download Squad; and we are more than willing to do the trekking for you.

So, without further ado, here is our near-exhaustive list of clipboard applications for the Mac (we say near-exhaustive because we know that you, constant reader, have an app or two up your sleeve). The applications are listed on the basis of price: the first entries are free, and the most expensive are at the bottom (plus, if you make it to the end of the post, you'll find a few hidden gems).

Google is placing advertisements in the body of a limited number of YouTube videos. The interface is rather interesting, with a small text ad showing up on the bottom of the screen partway through the video.

If you click on the text of the ad, you're taken to the advertiser's site. If you click the play button on the ad, a video commercial pops up inside the same window as the video you're watching. When the commercial ends, your video resumes.

The ads only play when you're watching the video via YouTube. We tried embedding this My Chemical Romance video in a blog post, and the ad didn't show up, which is nice. When you embed clips from other video sites, such as The Onion News Network, you may have to deal with pre-roll ads, which you can't get rid of, and which you don't make any revenue from.

[via NewTeeVee]

You might recall awhile back we posted some ads from Japan featuring Apple's "I'm a Mac" guy and his PC foil just like the U.S. ads but, er, Japanese. Today we have some more foreign "I'm a Mac" ads, but this time you won't need subtitles. Apple has brought its popular ad campaign across the Atlantic this time, to the U.K. Here's the first, called "Office at Home" and you can find the other five after the jump. (Or, if you're a purist, you can watch them in glorious hi-res QuickTime at the Apple web site.)

I'm more fond of the UK Mac than the smarmy US version, but as I said before there's no replacing John Hodgman as the PC. And I have a soft spot for that Eurobeat-grooving Japanese PC. The actors, in case you're curious, are Britons David Mitchell and Robert Webb as the PC and Mac respectively, stars of Channel 4 sitcom Peep Show.

Microsoft is showcasing a rather goofy series of videos to show the versatility of Windows Mobile. The idea is that you can work with Outlook, Word, Excel, and other programs on the go -- even if you're in an elevator filled with snakes or duct taped to a light post.

Of course, it might make more sense to use your smartphone to call for help if you happen to be in one of these situations, but that wouldn't be as funny, would it? That said, I think these advertisements would be just as effective for selling knives as mobile computing devices.

If you've ever wondered how hard it is to remember 15 seconds of dialog while being hugged by a few hundred snakes, be sure to check out the outtakes.

[Via Jason Langridge's WebLog]

Imagine you were unexpectedly thrust into a world where those same cute Mac-and-PC ads were on TV, but they were in a language you couldn't understand!* That world is, well, Japan, and those ads are right over here. They're just like the American ads we're used to, except with two funny Japanese dudes, and they're in Japanese. You can check out the ads in their full-resolution glory at Apple Japan, or you can just look below, where low-res but English-subtitled versions away.

Funny, but it's just not the same without our national treasure John Hodgman. You can find the other two ads after the jump.

[Via Offering Booze via TV Squad]

*Also, imagine that it's Friday and a slow news day.

CrossOSS is a web site for people who want to be able to use the same programs on their Windows machine, their Linux box, and their Mac. It's a database of applications--open source, free, and commercial--that will run on at least two of the above platforms. At the moment the database is fairly small--less than 100 apps--but there's some great selections in categories ranging from Database to Multimedia, and programs are identified clearly according to platforms and cost.

Awhile back we mentioned Firefox Flicks, a competition sponsored by Mozilla to create a promotional video for the maverick web browser. On Tuesday they started rolling out the first videos with six online today and a couple added each day.. I really enjoyed "Wheee!", though I think some Safari users might take offense. If you haven't submitted your Firefox Flick yet, you'd better get moving, 'cause the deadline for submissions is tomorrow.