Ho, ho, ho. It's the calm before the storm. There's the holiday season fully underway with more to come, and that doesn't even count on all the new tech releases gearing up for the first quarter of 2011. Everyone's poised with their next big launch, so fasten your seat belts, the next year is going to be killer. Here's what happened while we wait, breath bated.

Features:

- Tips and Tricks for Mastering the New Bejeweled 3 - You really need a job like the ones we have at Mac|Life. We get to spend a couple hours playing Bejeweled and call it work. Ha! Try that at your job and see what it gets you. Well, Bejeweled 3 has finally been released by PopCap and good luck telling your boss you were investigating it for business purposes.

- Use Your iPhone for Snowboarding Greatness - Just because you're ready to hit the slopes doesn't mean you have to be without a phone like some kind of savage. Snowboarder-in-Chief Robbie Baldwin gets his snowboard on in style with snow reports, a little music action, Otterbox Defender for his precious, and he's still going strong.

How-Tos:

- How To Print a Document from Quick Look - Can't remember if that one picture you really wanted to print was IMG_3432 or IMG_3234 or IMG_4323 or whatever? Nothing is more frustrating than putting your nose nearly on the monitor and still not being able to pick out one thumbnail from another -- and don't even get us started on documents. You know Apple's already figured this out for you, right? Ever heard of Quick Look? Yeah, well, kick that task flow into high gear with printing directly from Quick Look rather than finding your file, firing up another application (ever time Photoshop?), and then going to print.

- How To Wirelessly Share an Internet Connection from a Mac - Consider this something like reverse tethering. Use your Mac to create an ad-hoc wireless network when you're someplace wired, but not wireless. It's quick, it's easy, it's rocking things pro-style.


Reviews:

- LaCie Brings USB 3.0 to the Mac--Sort Of - Ever since we heard of USB 3.0, we've been lusting for speed. Sure, USB 2 lets us transfer data pretty quickly, but files get bigger as computers grow faster and more powerful and now we need more speed, more, more, more we tells ya! But there aren't any USB 3.0 Mac drivers out there yet. Wait, what? Enter LaCie, who promises USB 3.0 speeds on your current system. How's that again?

- Rock Band Reloaded HD Review - Everyone wants to be a rock star, so it's no wonder Rock Band and games like it have been the smash hits they have been. But leaving all your gear at home while you travel is no way to get that on-the-road experience. Let Electronic Arts be your roadie as you get the band back together and hit the tour circuit. With Rock Band Reloaded HD in the App Store, there's no time and no place where you can't get your rock on.

News:

Once upon a time BFF Google made a lot of news this week. Turns out they're almost almost almost ready to launch their netbook operating system, Chrome. But they didn't stop there, the also tossed out new hardware, a web app store, and a data plan deal with AT&T nemesis, Verizon...among those web apps was Google Cloud Print which looks like a full on win -- Windows, that is, as Mac users haven't been invited to the party yet...then they snuck Google Latitude into the App Store for all of two seconds and it's gone, but it's likely to come back as someone in iTunes Japan just hit the wrong button for a minute...continuing their assault on any and every comer and their goal of being your one-stop everything, Google also rolled out their long-anticipated e-bookstore...and wouldn't they just love you to read these books on their upcoming tablet? Oh yes, they would, as they try to figure out how to take on the iPad...and if you're a Google Docs user and an iPad user, we've got some tips just for you.

Because, let's face it, kiddies, we're moving into the cloud and Google's really going full gung-ho in that element. Meanwhile, anticipating this, Steve promises some improvements to MobileMe (and delivers on an update to QuickTime -- yawn)...but if you're getting cloud-ready, here's what we use while we wait for universal free MobileMe...of course, Cupertino does seem to recognize that Google Apps is threatening other elements of their business model, so they've baked in the ability to share your calendars through MobileMe, which is a helpful update to say the least...what else would we like to see in MobileMe updates? Oh, we've got a list, believe us, we've got a list...also in the competition sphere is the Mac App Store, building on the iOS App Store, coming straight to your computer about January-ish...also coming early 2011? At long last, the Moby Dick of handsets, the white iPhone. We'll believe it when we see it.