The Macintosh is not a gaming machine. I understand that. I’ve been fighting the good fight for over a decade now, but it’s a losing battle. Mac users will never get as many games as PC owners, we’ll never see the innovation, and simultaneous releases continue to elude us even today.

But that doesn’t mean there aren’t great games to be played. With the right software and hardware, it’s pretty easy to fool your Macintosh into thinking it’s an Xbox 360, if even for a little while. So, if you know a Mac gamer in need of some gifts this Christmas season, or if you’re getting a new Mac and want to see what it can do, here are a couple of suggestions to get you started (provided your system can handle them).

At first glance, Mimobots don’t appear to be computer peripherals at all. They seem more like hip pieces of art or lawn gnomes for the Barbie Dream House, or something of that sort. But they’re actually USB flash drives called Mimobots, and there are a lot of them.

With their caps on, the Mimobots look like weird little people, or, indeed, robots. Some, in fact, are designed to look like specific people or robots; Mimoco has released lines licensed from Star Wars, Halo, and others. Now, I’m not a fan of any Star Wars movie that didn’t involve Luke Skywalker’s hand getting cut off, and I’m too rugged a fellow to get excited about something because it’s “cute,” but take a look at the C-3PO and R2-D2 Mimobots (and read the full review) after the break.

With less than 24 hours till the start of the 2008 holiday shopping season, Apple has announced the iPhone 3G Gift Card. The Gift Card allows gift givers to help someone else buy an iPhone.

The card is available only in the United States. It is sold in any denomination between $25 and $2,500. The card can, in fact, be used to buy anything from the Apple Online Store or Retail Store, it’s just branded as an iPhone Gift Card.

Along with the card, Apple lists some benefits that receivers might enjoy…

The Ewoo eFizz speaker system caused some conflicts here at Appletell Towers. About half of us liked the black, curved styling, the other half felt it looked like the midsection of a mannequin that had fallen apart. About half of us felt it was too large, the other half felt it’s not much bigger than your standard desktop stereo system. Most of us felt the price was a bit steep, while others are used to paying more for quality stereo equipment.

What all of us could agree upon, though, is the sound. Ah, that sweet, sweet sound. The Ewoo eFizz is easily the best sounding iPod speaker system I’ve ever had the pleasure of hearing.

Full review after the break.

With the holiday get-togethers right around the corner, the iPhone coaster set from Meninos is the perfect way to show your true inner geek when having a drink with your in-laws. This coaster set is based on the 16 original iPhone applications that Apple has been shipping with the device (excluding the iTunes and App Store icon). Judging by the image provided with the set, the coasters appear to be very well designed with bright and bold colors. We have to agree with them when they say their designs are “simple and different.”

Hard to get more old school than this: Legacy Consumer Electronics has released an Atari 2600 joystick with a USB port.It’s compatible with OS X, Windows, and Linux, and is sure to provide hours of enjoyment until your hands get horrible, crippling cramps from the harsh plastic edges.

But I ask you, who really knew about ergonomics in those days?

To look at the Racer-X laptop bag from WaterField, you wouldn’t think it would run upwards of $190. In fact, when I showed it to a colleague of mine, he said just that; “It’s not worth it.” But he doesn’t speak for all of us. First, he’s a PC user, and that’s a different mindset than those of us protecting the more expensive Apple laptops. Second, he made the comment based solely on the outward appearance of the Racer-X. And whereas it is sharp looking, it’s mostly canvas, not leather. It’s not a hard case. It doesn’t offer a locking mechanism. So, what does the Racer-X feature to justify the premium cost? Quite a bit, actually. Quite a bit.

There is no doubt in my mind that the iPhone is going to be one of the more popular gadgets this holiday season, especially since Apple lowered its price by so much compared to the first model. Also, new reports have shown the iPhone is extremely reliable and even a good business solution. However, when you buy an iPhone, you are instantly greeted with a plethora of addition third-party products that can make the iPhone experience even better, not to mention the thousands of apps in the App Store. Even better yet, if Apple manages to release the iPhone 2.2 software update in time for the holidays, the iPhone will become even more functional than it is now. With these great things in mind, we invite you to peruse through our Holiday Season Gift Guide to find the right products for the iPhone lover in your family.

As has been noted numerous times here at Appletell and throughout the gaming world, there are three things you can kill in computer games without fear of reproach: Nazis, zombies and Nazi zombies. If you like, you can lump aliens in with the zombies, and you can lump robots in with the Nazis. But you can’t use cops, hookers, marching bands or video game reviewers without expecting to eventually stand before Arlen Specter to explain why the downfall of modern civilization is not because of your little video game.

And yet, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (CoD4) is set in a realistic, timely world in which the battles you’re fighting don’t really stray from those you might hear about on “All Things Considered.” The developers get away with this for two reasons. First, then invent militant organizations to serve as their bad guys. Second, this game is a brutal depiction of war. Brutal to an unsettling degree. It doesn’t glorify war, and it doesn’t even really lionize soldiers. If this were a movie script, John Wayne and Chuck Norris would run from it in terror.

There’s a theory in the scientific community that if the world is ever wiped out by nuclear holocaust, the cockroaches alone will survive to repopulate the planet. I’m all for this, because a planet of walking, sentient cockroaches sounds crazy cool, and because if humans ever do destroy our ability to survive, then the cockroaches deserve their chance in the driver’s seat.

What the scientists are missing, though, is that there’s another creature with an even stronger ability to adapt and survive. Change its habitat, change its food supply, smash it with a hammer…doesn’t matter. It’ll survive. It’ll continue to grow and populate, and it’ll always do its best to match your purse. I’m talking, of course, about the iPhone case. Here are some for the new iPhone 3G. No need to be creeped out by them, but best to keep a can of Raid handy.

• Speck PixelSkin
• PDO TopSkin
• JAVOedge JAVOskin
• Griffin Wave
• Griffin Nu Form