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La Repubblica, a well known Italian publication, is reporting, in Italian of course, that there will soon be a 3G iPhone in Italy.  However, this would be no normal release.  Supposedly there will be no carrier lock or two month agreement on the device whatsoever, it will just be sold at a higher retail price to begin with.  Telecom Italia Mobile will have the rights to sell the phone exclusively for the first few months, but customers will not have to use TIM as their carrier although it is estimated that 50% of Italian wireless customers use TIM anyways.

If this is the case, this would be a landmark deal for TIM.  Apple has been known to get whatever they want when it comes to deals about the iPhone.  If this rumor is true, Apple may have realized that in order for the phone to truly reach its potential, they need to make it more open.  It will be interesting to see how this unfolds as a 3G iPhone wasn’t expected to be even announced until WWDC in June.

MacHeist is a fairly well known name around the Mac community. They have fun “Heists” with some free software, ending in a severely discounted software bundle after all the heists. Now they have released a “retail version” of the bundle, for the same $49 price. It includes some great programs, but a whole bunch of repeats from previous bundles as well. I’m not going to go into details here about the ethics, promotional schemes, or any other moral stuff about MacHeist here. What this article is for is breaking down for whom the bundle is worth it, and for whom it is not.

New Mac User - If you are new to the Mac world, this is a stellar opportunity to get your hands on a nice amount of applications designed with the Mac in mind. You get money management software, an iTunes front-end, a word processor, a shortcut/application launcher, a password and sensitive info vault, three games for the Mac (Nanosaur is especially cool in 3D) and more. If you have a fresh new mac and $50, I’d recommend this bundle in a snap unless you have absolutely no interest in any of these apps.

Previous Bundle Buyer - Chances are if you’ve already bought the MacHeist bundles, it’s not for you this time around. Over half of the applications in this bundle are repeats of previous bundles. It may, however, still be worth it. If there are a couple apps in there that you like that total up to more than $50 by themselves, then of course the whole bundle is a great buy.

Gift Giver - This also fits in with the previous. If you just want a couple apps, why not give the rest away? Hold a contest on your blog if you have one, or just give them away to friends as presents, or perhaps to a relative along with a new Mac. The games will be especially great for kids.

Who Else? Can you think of anyone else who would benefit from these apps? Sound off in the comments below!

The MacHeist Bundle has gotten even bigger, jumping from 11 to 14 applications. Now valued at almost $500, it really is a good deal at only $49. Granted, most people wont find use for even 25% of the apps in the bundle, but $49 is a great price to pay (plus, you can sell licenses later, technically.)

The Bundle now includes VectorDesigner (unlocked at $300,000 for charity, which is not far off at all), Snapz Pro X, Pixelmator, CSSEdit, AppZapper, Tiki Magic Mini Golf, 1password, CoverSutra, Cha-Ching, iStopMotion, Awaken, Speed Download, Wingnuts 2, TaskPaper, all for only $49. If you refer 2 friends, you will also recieve LaunchBar and Notebook, a $70 value.

There are only 2 more days to buy the bundle, however, so get in while you can.

Buy [MacHeist]